Challenges for Rural America in the Twenty-First Century

Edited by David L. Brown, and Louis E. Swanson

“Brown and Swanson (both former presidents of the Rural Sociological Society) present one of the finest overviews available of sociological issues facing the rural US today.” —E. J. Krieg, Choice

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Winner of a 2004 Choice Award for an Outstanding Academic Title

The twentieth century was one of profound transformation in rural America. Demographic shifts and economic restructuring have conspired to alter dramatically the lives of rural people and their communities. Challenges for Rural America in the Twenty-First Century defines these changes and interprets their implications for the future of rural America. The volume follows in the tradition of "decennial volumes" co-edited by presidents of the Rural Sociological Society and published in the Society's Rural Studies Series. Essays have been specially commissioned to examine key aspects of public policy relevant to rural America in the new century.

“Brown and Swanson (both former presidents of the Rural Sociological Society) present one of the finest overviews available of sociological issues facing the rural US today.” —E. J. Krieg, Choice

“Keeping with the tradition of the two earlier volumes (Dillman and Hobbs, 1982 and Christensen and Flora, 1991), this book is a must-read for those who want or need to understand the dynamics of rural America.” —Paul Lasley, Iowa State University

David L. Brown is Professor of Rural Sociology at Cornell University and former President of the Rural Sociological Society.

Louis Swanson is Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University and former President of the Rural Sociological Society.

Contents

List of Tables

List of Figures

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Rural America Enters the New Millennium

David L. Brown and Louis E. Swanson

Part I: Who Lives in Rural America Today?

New Directions in Population Change and Diversity

1. Unpredictable Directions of Rural Population Growth and Migration

Kenneth M. Johnson

2. African Americans in Rural America

Rosalind P. Harris and Dreamal Worthen

3. American Indians: Their Contemporary Reality and Future Trajectory

Angela A. Gonzales

4. Latinos in Rural America

Rogelio Saenz and Cruz C. Torres

Reshuffling and Remaking Rural Families

5. What Do Rural Families Look Like Today?

Katherine MacTavish and Sonya Salamon

6. Older Rural Families

Nina Glasgow

7. Rural Children and Youth at Risk

Daniel T. Lichter, Vincent J. Roscigno, and Dennis J. Condron

8. Rural Women: New Roles for the New Century?

Ann R. Tickamyer and Debra A. Henderson

9. Rural Poverty: The Persisting Challenge

Leif Jensen, Diane K. McLaughlin, and Tim Slack

Part II: A Transformed Rural Economy

10. How People Make a Living in Rural America

David A. McGranahan

11. Who Benefits from Economic Restructuring? Lessons From the Past, Challenges for the Future

William W. Falk and Linda M. Lobao

12. Commuting: A Good Job Nearby?

Leanne M. Tigges and Glenn V. Fuguitt

13. Continuities and Disjunctures in the Transformation of the U.S. Agro-Food System